A Newcastle homelessness charity is currently running its annual 'Feed a Friend for a Fiver' campaign which asks people to help pay for a Christmas meal for someone less fortunate.
This is the one donation drive of its kind that The People's Kitchen do each year and it makes such a big difference to people that are struggling financially over the festive period.
This year in particular, there are even more people in the North East that cannot make ends meet, whether they are living on the street or working but struggling to provide for themselves and their families due to rising bills and other costs.
Read more: Former members of Newcastle band Lindisfarne turn on Christmas lights at The People's Kitchen
The People's Kitchen provides these people with a hot meal every day, food to take away with them, clothes to keep warm in these freezing temperatures, and access to other services such as the NHS.
Maggie Pavlou, is a trustee of The People's Kitchen, and she is encouraging people to give what they can in these especially hard times.
She said: "Every year, we are overwhelmed by the continued generosity of the people of the North East. We are a volunteer led, non-profit organisation who give up our time to help our friends in the community and this is clearly a value we all share.
"I understand that it is an especially difficult time with the cost of living crisis, but for that reason we are struggling this year with donations. If people could give whatever they can, however much that is, it would mean so much to our friends right here in the North East."
The People's Kitchen partner up with NE Offers as part of this campaign, who offer discounts and deals to people in the North East.
Chris, 35, owner of NEoffers, told ChronicleLive: "Christmas is a special time of year where people who are struggling undoubtedly struggle more. We’ve pledged to help the People’s Kitchen once again this year."
“With the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis we have all seen how anyone can find themselves in need who never thought they would ever struggle and hopefully given a lot more compassion for those who are struggling in our community.
"We are again relying on the amazing North East community to come together this Christmas - everyone deserves a warm meal and warm surroundings especially at Christmas."
Last year over £75,000 was raised by NE Offers as part of this campaign and they aim to get as much as possible this time around.
If you would like to donate to the 'Feed a Friend for a Fiver' campaign, click the following link: The People's Kitchen Donate to Feed a Friend for a Fiver
You can find out more about the charity here.
Read next:
Autism champion Richie Smith wants to show young people that 'they can be awesome'
Talented twins from Newcastle come second in prestigious international song writing competition
I visited the 'lively' Tynemouth coast in freezing cold winter - and found it's not just for summer
Generous five-year-old West Denton boy delivers huge amount of donations to foodbank
The Customs House in South Shields launches video project to help asylum seekers tell their stories
